Jockey Vinnie Colgan rides the John Bary-trained Miss Wilson to victory in the $200,000, group one victory at Te Aroha at the weekend. Photo/Trish Dunnell, NZ Racing Desk
Jockey Vinnie Colgan rides the John Bary-trained Miss Wilson to victory in the $200,000, group one victory at Te Aroha at the weekend. Photo/Trish Dunnell, NZ Racing Desk
Relief. That's what John Bary felt after clinching his first group one victory in almost three years at the weekend.
Bary's drought ended when jockey Vinnie Colgan rode Miss Wilson in the Fiber Fresh New Zealand Thoroughbred Breeders' Stakes (1600m) at Te Aroha in the Thames Valley on Saturday.
"You need a good horse, you need a good jockey but you also need a little bit of luck in this game so she got it all [on Saturday]," said the 48-year-old Hastings trainer as he celebrated with Hawke's Bay breeders Richard and Liz Wood last night.
He mulled over what was his last group one victory - Survived or Recite - but couldn't reach a verdict.
Suffice it to say it was a long time between drinks.
Miss Wilson jumped well to sit behind bolshy leaders Ruud Not Too and Nicoletta before reeling them in 250m from the finish line, clinching the $200,000 1600m race by half a length from Thee Auld Floozie, who also finished runner-up in the 2017 edition of the event behind Charmont, according to an NZ Racing Desk report.
Nicoletta was third, ahead of Heni and Coldplay, who both made ground from back in the field.
The favourite, Darscape Princess, settled for fourth but was under pressure at the top of the straight and dropped out to beat only two home.
As a champion trainer, Bary emphasised losing hope wasn't an option.
"All you've got when you're training is your judgement and the systems that use in preparing and your staff."
He doesn't make any changes because what's worked before for extracting horse power is a tried-and-proven process so the half-sister by Stratum to his retired champion galloper, Jimmy Choux, a multiple group one winner and former New Zealand Horse of the Year, is a testament to that.
He had no doubts the 5-year-old Bay mare was going to prevail because her track work in the past fortnight "was exceptional".
"Like 10 days ago she had a galoop that was just phenomenal, probably the best I've seen from her."
Champion Hastings trainer John Bary says it's been a long time between drinks for a group one victory again. Photo/file
Bary said they played that down, put their heads down and rolled up their sleeves to carry on with doing their part for Miss Wilson.
"She had just been humming for the past two weeks at home. She just looked like she was floating across the ground."
Miss Wilson was a type of horse who thrived on better tracks, having won the Red Badge Sprint last in spring.
He felt the mare did all right in January but had had a bit of bad luck although on Saturday those variables tilted in her favour for an emphatic result.
Colgan didn't often ride for Bary but when he had done they were winners.
"He's won five derbies, I think, so he's won a lot of group ones. Group one jockeys and group one trainers win group one races."
Bary paid tribute to the Woods who had supported his Timoti Stables from day one so to repay their faith was godsend.
"I've got some great owners and they've all been really loyal so it's nice if you can repay that sort of trust."
He said Richard was understandably delighted.
"Very few owners race horses on their own nowadays because it's an expensive hobby so Richard does it off his own back and out of his own pocket."
The stable staff, he stressed, also toiled long hours with Bary so he would perhaps treat them to a breakfast shout although it was the vibe that would whet their appetite most.
"I know they'll be skipping into work and it'll just lift everybody and give everyone the hope to know what we're doing right and if the horse is good enough we can produce those results."
Nothing was in cast for Miss Wilson but Bary might race her in Rotorua next month because wet conditions in early spring wasn't in her repertoire.
